In January,the State of AlaskapetitionedSecretary Perduetoinitiate a rulemaking process toexempttheTongassfrom the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (the Roadless Rule).Today's announcement responds to that petition.

Rather than expending scarce time and resources unraveling protections for treasured wildlands, the Forest Service should be investing in activities that restore watersheds, enhance forest resiliency to climate change and deliver valuable ecosystem services to the American people. Fishing, recreation and tourism are the sustainable economic drivers in southeast Alaska and despoiling the very forests and watersheds that sustain this economy makes no economic sense. Sacrificing rare old-growth habitat to keep the unprofitable timber industry afloat at taxpayer expense is poor public policy and does a disservice to Americans and our forest system.

The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule

Protecting nearly 60 million acres ofunroadedareas within the National Forest System, the2001RoadlessArea ConservationRule is one of America’s most important conservation laws.

Roadless areas protected under the Rule provide for unparalleled recreation opportunities, clean drinking water for millions of Americans, and crucial habitat for at-risk fish and wildlife populations.

There are roughly 375,000 miles of roads within the National Forest System – enough to circle the Earth 15 times – along with a multi-billion-dollar road maintenance backlog.

The Rule and the Tongass National Forest have facedlegislative attacksduring the 115th Congress, as some politicianshave repeatedly triedto insert riders to undo or roll back the Rule into several pieces of unrelated, must-pass legislation.

The Tongass National Forest – America’s Rainforest

The Tongass National Forest encompasses almost 17 million acres of wild forest in southeast Alaska; roughly 9.5 million acres is classified as roadless under the Rule.

The TongassNational Forest containsthe largest intact temperate rainforest on the continent.

Theselow-elevationtemperate rainforests are renowned for theirlarge old-growth trees—some more than 800 years old—whichprovide important fish and wildlife habitat.

However,theselargeold-growthtreesonly constituteabout4 percent of the forest and about half of that prime habitat has already been lost to destructive clearcutting.

TheForestis home to five species of salmon, brown and black bears, bald eagles, wolves, mountain goats and Sitka black-tailed deer. Migratory birds that come from all over the continent spend the summer nesting and breeding in the Tongass. Off the coast, there are orca and humpback whales,Stellarsea lions, seals andNorthernsea otters.

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With over 1.8 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit Newsroom.Defenders.org and follow us on Twitter @DefendersNews.